On the Spiritual Timing of Projects

valentina from brooklyn, harlem 2014

After teaching I decided to work at home for a year translating, proofing and editing. I managed to get enough work to get by - and the projects ranged from anything from television scripts to  academic books on Ancient Sumerian Goddesses and such. I'm not kidding.
I enjoy the work - but in order to secure a steady income you have to really put yourself out there. The last few years have seen a more socially quiet me - and it is something that I feel I must honor in order to maintain my balance. So I trust.
One of the dreams I've always had since moving to Denmark was finding a way to connect what I did in New York with the talent here. When I lived in New York, I worked with Marie Brown, a literary agent who works with such luminaries such as Faith Ringgold and the great Dorothy Dandridge biographer, Donald Bogle. I garnered a wealth of stories being under the tutelage of Marie - and most of all I learned a lot about the business of publishing and American history, particularly where race is involved.  Marie was recruited by Double Day in the 60s. At the time she was a teacher in Philadelphia. But after a congressional hearing was held challenging the lack of diversity in book publishing,  an initiative was sparked to recruit employees who would have historically not have access to these jobs. This was what was behind the great surge of Black literature in the 60s and 70s and Marie was responsible for ushering  many of these books from idea to publication, or had some hand in it's birth.
So when I came to Copenhagen, one of the bridges I wanted to construct was one connecting Danish talent with New York City channels. In the past 15 years I have been here, I have witnessed how Denmark has prefigured positively in the dominant media.  There is an interest in all things Scandinavian which of course translates into a market.
One of the books that found itself on my desk is a riveting account of a man who spent 20 years in the Church of Scientology here in Copenhagen, Denmark. There are a few things that are particularly interesting in this account. The first thing you ought to know is that Scientology's European Headquarters is stationed in Copenhagen. The second thing is that the author, Robert Dam, managed to reach pretty high up in the organization, so he has access that is not available to just anyone. The third aspect to this story is Robert himself.  Robert is the type of narrator that you trust to follow, although he is doing something you might not have ever considered doing before: And that is join Scientology.
For all of the  many experiences I have had in my life I have consciously avoided any engagement with Scientology. I'm not saying that I've never been friends with Scientologists, I'm just saying that of the few things I knew that I would never under any uncertain terms want to do, walking into a Scientology building and taking that test was one of them. But this Robert Dam character is likable. You trust his extreme confidence in a system that promises this ardent student of life a way to better understanding and navigating life. Suddenly, you relax in the presence of Robert's account and allow him to take the lead, realizing that there is no better hero to this story than him.
So I have this amazing book, called The Defector in English - and it would make me really happy to see it published in English! I reconnected with Robert tonight and was impressed, once again, with his patience and approach to life. Right now there's more to this project under production, and I look forward to experiencing a resurgence of interest in this project.
farvel!
the lab